Quick Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup | Ina Garten

This is a weekday chicken udon soup which is every bit as satisfying as a similar soup served in your local ramen shops — but budget friendly. If you can get fresh ramen, it’s even better. I use frozen udon and add the cooked udon to the soup. For any ramen or udon soup to truly stand out, the key to success rests with the soup. Nothing else matters more for a ramen (or udon) noodle soup than the soup base. If you can persuade your favorite ramen shop to sell you their soup base by the quart, do it. Your noodle soup will get a huge upgrade.

Short of pulling off a professional kitchen assist, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. It starts off with a familiar Ina Garten’s recipe for ramen chicken noodle soup. Sauté the aromatics (carrots, ginger and garlic) until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth (homemade is preferred) and bring it to a boil. Stir in the chicken pieces (fresh ones are better for flavor development; it’s up to you) at medium heat. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

To impart umami, the more the better, I bring in the big guns: add soy sauce, miso and teabag-style dashi into the chicken stock. Umami is absolutely essential for the noodle soup to taste like the real deal in Japan or in foodie destinations everywhere. I won’t say you get it 100%, but you’re getting a taste of it.

For a little tweak and not a whole lot of work, I have a bowl of super duper ramen chicken noodle soup. A soup that’s satisfying enough to stop me from thinking/dreaming about where I should go for the best ramen in New York city or Kyoto. Ivan ramen, Ippudo…

Print Recipe

Quick Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 2 cups (1-inch) diced, scrubbed carrots (3 carrots)
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 7 to 8 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts or 1 small rotisserie chicken
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, such as Kikkoman
• 1 tablespoon miso paste, optional for extra layer of umami
• 1 teabag-style of dashi, optional for extra level of umami
• 1 (3-ounce) package ramen noodles, (I use frozen udon)
• 8 ounces baby bok choy, leaves separated and cleaned, or spinach
• scallions, cut diagonally, optional to sprinkle on top

Instructions

1

MAKE THE SOUP BASE: Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, until tender. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for only one minute. Add 7 cups of the chicken stock, raise the heat to bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2

ADD THE CHICKEN: Meanwhile, separate the chicken meat from the bones and skin and discard everything except the meat. Shred the meat in large pieces and add it to the stock. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and miso paste and teabag-style dashi, if using, and taste for seasonings.

3

ADD THE NOODLES: Open up the ramen noodles or udon and add them to the stock. Cook until the noodles are softened.

4

ADD THE GREENS: Cut the stalks and leaves of the bok choy in ¾-inch diagonal slices and add just the stems to the soup, simmering for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles and bok choy (or spinach) are tender. Add the leaves of the bok choy and the last cup of chicken stock, if you need more stock. Serve hot in large shallow bowls.

Notes

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/ramen-chicken-noodle-soup